


Unchallenged Guardian

by Trenchcoat Hunter (Reedt)



Series: Guardians: The Ones Who Stands Against [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Derek Hale, BAMF Stiles, Canon-Typical Violence, Cliffhangers, Comedy, F/M, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kid Fic, Kung Fu, Love Triangles, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Married Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, No Smut, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pack Dad Derek Hale, Pack Mom Stiles Stilinski, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-06-15 20:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15420654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reedt/pseuds/Trenchcoat%20Hunter
Summary: Stiles interrupted Liam’s introspection with a chuckle. “Well, look who decided to show up on our run. Again.” Liam snapped his head to the left and sure enough a distant figure could be seen jogging a bit faster than him through the fog in an attempt to catch up. Feelings his neck and cheeks flush, Liam ducked his head a little as his dad bumped into him lightly. “Aren’t you gonna say hi to your boyfriend?”Liam stumbled slightly but righted himself quickly. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Liam whispered quietly. Stiles chuckled as he turned around and smoothly jogged backwards without losing speed or stride to wave at the figure behind them which had Liam hissing through his fangs. “What are you doing!”Stiles turned back around and smirked, not even slightly winded or off put by his backwards jog. “Just being polite to a possible future son-in-law.”“TATO!”“Yes Liam?”Part 1:Unlikely GuardianPart 2:Uncertain GuardianPart 3:Unconquered Guardian





	1. Eyes are Windows to the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back and got a big enough plot bunny for a new story, not just a slice of life :)
> 
> It’s been 2 years since I finished Unconquered Guardian and never planned for anything more than what was in Unchecked but I got hit with some BIG inspiration recently and couldn’t resist coming back to my Universe.
> 
> No set schedule as I am working quite a bit between trying to building my photography business and my job but should still be fairly regular.

The fogged rolled into Beacon Hills like an eerie ghost at some point during the early winter morning thanks to the warm sun and damp cold front from the Pacific Ocean the day before. The sky was clear and the stars stubbornly hung onto the night as the first rays of the sun began to melt away the darkness. It would be a lie to say that it was completely silent this early, but it was certainly quiet as Liam stepped out into the crisp morning air and gently closed the front door behind him. Dressed in a black sweat shirt and gray workout shorts, Liam began lightly stretching and getting the blood circulating into his sleepy body before beginning his _Tato’s_ morning workout.

At 18 years old, the youngest of the Alphas’ sons topped off at 5’8’ while his older brothers both topped off at 6’1’. Granted, the youngest pup (“ _Papa! I’m a senior! STOP CALLING ME A PUP!” “Never gonna happen, pup.” “ARGH!”)_ had filled out the most and was a veritable bruiser compared to Ethan and Aiden’s leaner but still no less intimidating builds. Derek was certainly proud of Liam being built more like him as opposed to Stiles and the twins being leaner. Not to say the Alpha wolf cared about Liam’s strength (and the teen certainly had that in spades), but Derek always felt his heart warm when someone pointed out how Liam certainly took after Derek more so than Stiles, at least physically. Liam had Stiles’ snark and wit which amused his parents and annoyed his uncles. His aunts all cooed at how Liam was an almost perfect blend of his parents.

Watching his breath swirl into mist as he breathed deeply, Liam’s ears picked up on quiet steps inside the house. Running his fingers through his long hair to comb it to the sides, Liam listened to the door behind him open softly before a soft chuckle had him turning. His _Tato_ was dressed in a sleeveless black hoodie and gray sweats as he turned around to gently close the door as well.

At the sturdy age of 35, Stiles exuded health and power. Liam could see the whipcord muscles of his _Tato’s_ arms and not for the first time thought about his parents’ reputation as extremely formidable and giving their little pack a very strong reputation. On the other hand, many people were shocked to find out that Stiles had college-aged sons and that his youngest was university bound. Then again, that’s what happens when you’re a teenage dad.

“Penny for your thoughts, Liam?”

Liam blinked and realized he’d been staring at Stiles. “Oh, uh, no. It’s nothing dad.” A soft smile and an upturned eyebrow had Liam caving. “I was just thinking of you and Papa.”

Both of Stiles’ eyebrows went up this time. “Anything in particular?”

Liam shrugged. “The future I guess? I’m not exactly sure…well, I suppose I’m not sure what I want to study at school? Um, you both are the Alphas but you also have normal jobs too? And I’m not sure what I should do too?”

His _tato_ chuckled before jogging down to the sidewalk, a toss of the head for Liam to follow. Tucking his long blond hair behind his ears, Liam jogged behind his dad before catching up and meeting Stiles’ pace.

Early mornings as far back as Liam can remember always started like this. There was a time when He had to really push himself to keep up with Stiles’ long strides when he was much younger but these days he had no trouble matching stride for stride.  When his brothers were home, the four of them all went for their morning exercise although it evolved significantly from the days Ethan, Aiden, and he used to considering the playground equipment sufficient training grounds.

Nowadays, the training style Stiles preferred had them heading to the woods and have sparring matches with his sons to keep their techniques sharp. Granted, Stiles was still undefeated against his sons but as they grew, Ethan, Aiden and Liam all began to branch out from kung fu and put up a better fight. Liam personally took to Brazilian jujutsu and could grapple as well as he could strike. His shorter height and reach made him a formidable opponent to anyone taller or had a longer reach if he got in close quick enough (which he could easily do thanks to his childhood training).

Stiles interrupted Liam’s introspection with a chuckle. “Well, look who decided to show up on our run. Again.” Liam snapped his head to the left and sure enough a distant figure could be seen jogging a bit faster than him through the fog in an attempt to catch up. Feelings his neck and cheeks flush, Liam ducked his head a little as his dad bumped into him lightly. “Aren’t you gonna say hi to your boyfriend?”

Liam stumbled slightly but righted himself quickly. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Liam whispered quietly. Stiles chuckled as he turned around and smoothly jogged backwards without losing speed or stride to wave at the figure behind them which had Liam hissing through his fangs. “What are you doing!”

Stiles turned back around and smirked, not even slightly winded or off put by his backwards jog. “Just being polite to a possible future son-in-law.”

“ _TATO_!”

“Yes Liam?”

Unfortunately Liam didn’t get the chance to say anything as he heard his name being called behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Liam caught sight of a familiar face dressed in blue skintight spandex, black running shorts, and a sleeveless skintight muscle shirt that had Liam’s heart skipping a beat because it wasn’t fair how that much muscle could be covered up and be obscene at the same time. Of course, it didn’t help that the steel gray eyes and bright smile were solely focused on Liam as Theo caught up to the father and son. “Morning Alpha, morning Liam.”

Stiles smirked as he glanced over his shoulder. “Morning Theo, joining us again?”

Liam mumbled so low under his breath, even a wolf couldn’t hear as Theo wiped some sweat from his eyes. “As long as you don’t mind, Alpha. It’s nice having company on my runs in the morning before I head to the garage even if it’s just for a few miles.”

At the mention of Theo’s job, Stiles actually grimaced. “Actually, we’ll probably need to swing by the garage later today.”

Theo threw his head back as he laughed. “I figured as much, it has been about six months since you’ve brought it the Jeep.” Theo grabbed the bottom of his shirt and yanked it up to wipe his face; Liam stared at Theo’s chiseled torso and quickly looked away, flushing hard and hot when he caught sight of one Theo’s nipples. Completely clueless to what he was doing to Liam since Theo was downwind, Theo let his shirt drop. “What’s wrong this time?”

Stiles frowned as he also wiped the sweat from his forehead while guiding the pair off the sidewalk and into the Preserve. “Honestly, I’m not sure. There’s a rattling sound that I’ve not heard before.”

Theo looked thoughtfully as he huffed slightly (Liam surreptitiously watching Theo’s chest bounce), “Sounds like it could be an exhaust problem. That’s actually new; it’s usually more an engine problem for the Jeep. Not gonna lie; that can be a serious problem.”

Sighing, Stiles began to slow his pace before finally stopping in the Pack’s favorite clearing. “Derek and I will drop it off later. Will you have time to look at it today?”

Theo grabbed the collar of his shirt and wiped his mouth as Liam yanked his collar open to let the heat escape. “Tato, don’t forget you have to pick up Ethan and Aiden from the airport today. The Camaro won’t have enough room for their luggage.”

“Damn, you’re right,” Stiles cursed. He turned to Theo again. “Would fixing the Jeep take long? Maybe we can cut the workout short and bring the Jeep in when you guys open?”

Theo shook his head. “There’s no telling how long it could be or if we have the parts to fix it. I’d really recommend not driving it much because I could be wrong and it could be an entirely different problem.”

Stiles sighed. “We’ll figure something out. Why don’t you go ahead and finish your run, Theo? We won’t keep you.”

Liam watched a drop of sweat reach Theo’s nose and then drop onto his chest as Theo bowed his head slightly to Stiles. “Always a pleasure to have some company, Alpha.” Theo glanced at Liam and smiled with a wink. “Bye Liam.”

Liam barely squeaked. “Later Theo.”

Theo turned (giving Liam a spectacular view of his broad back) and ran off. Even though Theo graduated with Ethan and Aiden, he hadn’t left Beacon Hills like many others from his class. Theo loved cars and got a job at the local garage before school had ended. Given he was a coyote, his strength made him a big asset at the garage from twisting off rusted parts to easily moving large machinery on his own. Liam hadn’t really paid much attention to Theo during the brief year they were in school together but the coyote seemed to be popping up everywhere in the past year. The dopey smile on Liam’s face came up on its own when he thought about the last time he ran into Theo at the coffee shop.

“You’ve got it bad, Li-Li.”

Liam jolted slightly, suddenly remembering his dad was right there. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Stiles chuckled as he walked a few paces back. The playful smirk on his lips were betrayed by the hard stare as Stiles slid into his preferred opening stance with most of weight sitting on his back leg, his front leg straight with his body turned to the side, spear hands at the ready. “If you say so. Bring your A-game, pup.”

Liam shifted forward as well, hands into the clawed (figuratively for now), leaning forward on his bent leg with his back leg braced behind him, fangs sparkling in the morning light. “I’m not a pup!”

At an unheard, unseen signal, father and son charged each other at the same moment. Liam roared as he took the lead with a vicious tiger-claw punch straight for Stiles’ chest only to be met with his dad’s swift snake block, feeling once again the effortless ease his _Tato_ diverted the strike and then feeling the familiar shock of pain of being also struck with in the armpit by a quick and fierce snake spear he couldn’t block from his angle. Hissing through his fangs at the pain, Liam changed tactics and tucked his shoulder down and tried to tackle spear his _Tato_ to the ground to grapple him. Said tackle ended up with Stiles wrapping absorbing the blow, folding over Liam’s back with his own torso and wrapping his arms around his son’s waist. Following Liam’s tackle, Stiles pulled Liam up while he rolled onto his back, one knee coming up to rest on Liam’s chest and not allow his son to lock his arms around his torso as he had already done. With Liam’s momentum and Stiles’ controlled fall, Liam felt his feet lift off the ground and suddenly knew he lost as he felt his father pull, roll, and kick Liam up and over into the air. Father and son looked briefly at each other for the barest moment as Liam sailed over Stiles’ head before he landed hard, but tucked himself to absorb the throw and roll back to his feet. Stiles kicked both feet up and landed on his feet as well, ready for the fight to continue. Liam panted as Stiles flicked his hand up and gestured for his son to come at him. With golden yellow eyes, sharp claws, and wet fangs, Liam charged once more.

Except Liam seemed to stumble and groan as he clutched his head in his hands. Stiles knew this wasn’t normal. “Liam!”

Liam began to thrash about and howl all the while clutching at his head. Stiles couldn’t approach him without being clipped by a stray claw or fang. Feeling his magic rise to his summons, Stiles brought his hands up just as Liam reared back and let out a truly impressive roar that last for close to a minute before he finally let go of his head and collapsed onto his back. Stiles rushed to his son’s side and lifted his head onto his bent knee. “Liam! Come on, wake up!”

Snapping twigs and crashing had Stiles tensing a moment before Theo burst into the clearing, eyes shining, claws at the ready, and fangs snapping. Theo searched the area a moment before his eyes landed on Stiles and Liam’s prone form and ran over. “What happened?! Are you ok?”

“I don’t know! Liam just spazzed and then collapsed! I’ve never seen it before,” Stiles whispered before turning back to his son. “Liam, come on, wake up, wake up!”

A low moan had Theo and Stiles freezing as Liam began to rouse. “Oh, Mother Moon, I feel like I got hit by a truck. And why are you both so loud?”

Stiles let out a tense breath as he cradled the blond head on his knees. “Liam! You’re ok!”

“ _Tato_ , stop yelling.”

Theo was about to remark that Stiles wasn’t being very loud but his throat clenched up as Liam opened his crimson red eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek sneezed. Rubbing his nose with the back of his hand to scratch the itchy feel at the tip, Alpha Hale squinted at the document in his hand as Brett waited in front of him. The young Alpha had thankfully placed a plastic sheet with highlights over it so Derek didn’t have to hunt for all the key points of the contract he really cares about in a bottomless bowl of alphabet soup. “Alright, this all looks balanced this time. Are you SURE this will be the final draft?” 

Brett nodded while running his hand through his hair. “Yes Alpha, after double checking everything, it should all be perfectly balanced. Neither party should have any room to demand any changes. Trust me, I made sure to close any damn loopholes and vague statements this time.”

With a snort, Derek laid the contract on his desk and pushed his knuckles into his lower back as he arched away the kinks, feeling and hearing all the pops in his spine from slouching at his desk.  After taking in the pups when they first arrived in Beacon Hills, Derek took temporary paternity leave from the volunteer firefighter position he held while running the Beacon Hills Pack. Of course, once Stiles entered the equation, his paternity leave became a permanent thing.  Over the years, Derek and Stiles helped push the reputation as being excellent arbiters between conflicting parties given their practice of dealing with their pups. Derek, coming from a long established pack, had an excellent sense of decorum and could navigate politics between many of the supernatural species while Stiles was without a doubt a powerful enforcer. One or both Alphas of Beacon Hills were considered powerful bargaining chips.

Brett reached over and grabbed the contract off the desk and stuffed it into his leather folder. The young Alpha has spent quite a few years training with the power he got from killing his chaotic mother. Studying and learning to be a leader under Alpha Kali's watchful eyes have given Brett a much more solid foundation for when he would be in charge of his own pack. After three years of being away, the Talbot Alpha had finally come back to Beacon Hills. Derek and Stiles both welcomed Brett easily and allowed the young Alpha to stay until he wanted to build or find his own pack. 

Yawning heavily and stretching languidly, Derek unconsciously let his fangs drop as his gently was stretched to its limits. Brett marveled, not for the first time, at the fact this was one of the most fearsome Alphas in the country. Under Alpha Kali’s tutelage, Brett had been given the chance to meet many Alphas that would meet with Kali. While all had the physical prowess of an Alpha, very few truly embodied a real pack Alpha. Brett was feeling lucky to have fallen into Derek’s graces when the Alpha stiffened and his eyes opened with a crimson flash. “Alpha Hale?”

Pushing away from his desk abruptly, Derek turned to look at the window of his study, as if looking beyond the treeline of the Hale House. “Something happened to Liam.” Brett felt himself freeze as Derek grabbed his phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial. It rang once before someone picked up. “What happened,” Derek gruffed out through clenched fangs.

“Alpha Derek,” Theo answered. Brett felt his the wolf within rise and bristle in annoyance. He had not expected the coyote to still be around when he returned to Beacon Hills especially since he was older than Liam and himself. In all honesty, Brett assumed that Theo would have wanted out of this back water town. While Brett loved Beacon Hills and found the peace here soothing, he itched to find a new place to claim as his own. “Alpha Stiles is here but he’s trying to subdue Liam.” 

Derek inhaled sharply. “What. Happened.”

Brett felt antsy as Stiles yelled from the background. “Derek! Go get Ethan-and Aiden! I’m gonna-have my hands full for a-a while!”

“Stiles...”

“Liam is in no danger, I swear!” A grunt sounded before a growl came through the phone. “Stay back, Theo! Bye Derek!”

“Stiles-“

Theo cut in. “I’ll bring them home safely Alpha Derek, I swear.” 

The phone call ended abruptly but Derek didn’t mind too much. He squinted in thought while still staring through his own reflection in the window into The Preserve. Brett shifted his weight from side to side. “Alpha?”

A moment of silent contemplation was all Derek gave the issue before Derek turned and walked around Brett. “I trust in my Mate. Get your car keys, you’re coming with me to the airport. The Camaro doesn’t have the cargo room for the twins’ crap. Send the contract to Jackson to finalize and let’s go.”

Derek walked out of his study leaving Brett still standing there at a loss for what had happened and worried about Liam.

<~~~~~~>

The late evening sun painted the sky in soft shades of pink and orange as a Camaro and a Corvette pulled up to the Hale House. Ethan and Brett got out of the cherry red roadster while Derek and Aiden got out of the black muscle car. “Papa, are you sure nothing’s wrong?” 

Derek shook his head as he opened the trunk and pulled Aidens bags out. “Stiles only said he could handle Liam. I don’t know about whats going on otherwise.”

Ethan and Brett walked up. “Is the rest of the pack coming?”

Derek led the trio of young wolves to the house. “No, Stiles actually sent out a group text asking everyone to stay put tonight. Just our family for now.” 

Ethan and Aiden both grabbed their phones and realized they had not checked their messages since being picked up at the airport. There was their Tato’s message as well as a few messages from the pack asking to be kept updated. Of course, Brett had his eyes locked on the large truck that was parked to the side, scowling as he recognized Theo’s ride. It rankled Brett and his wolf that the coyote was here when Derek had just said it was only their family at the house. 

The four walked up to the house before Derek turned and smiled. “Thank you for coming today, Brett. I know “chauffeur” wasn’t what you expect to do today but the help was appreciated.” 

Bowing slightly with his head turned to expose his neck, Brett felt his wolf growl slightly at the sign of submission. Granted, Brett’s wolf acknowledged Derek as the powerful wolf, but it didn’t have to like it. “You’re welcome, Alpha. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Go ahead and take the day off since I don’t know the situation inside. Good night, Brett.”

“Good night, Derek.” 

“Later dude,” the twins said together as Brett turned. The young Alpha waved without looking back. He got into the his corvette and scowled slightly at the black truck once more before heading home.

Derek had unlocked the front door as Ethan and Aiden grabbed all their bags and stepped inside. The sweet spicy scent of spicy ramen wafted in the air which had Derek and his twin pups sniffing appreciatively. “Stiles?” 

“Kitchen!”

Ethan and Aiden dumped their bags on the floor and walked into the kitchen, leaving Derek chuckling softly at his pups. He wasn’t at all surprised to find the twins engulfing Stiles in a sandwich hug from both sides as his mate laughed while stirring the pot. Using one free hand, Stiles grabbed Ethan by the head while he rubbed his face into the Aiden’s hair. “I missed you guys.”

“We missed you too, _Tato,”_ came the stereo response as Ethan and Aiden sighed into Stiles’ neck.

Chuckling softly, Stiles turned his full attention back to dinner. Derek’s heart swelled once again and knowing that this was his family, something he never got tired of feeling even after all these years. From the time the pups and Stiles barged into his life, Derek had finally understood what his parents had meant when they told him to leave and find his own pack after accidentally becoming an Alpha himself.  Thinking of the pups, Derek looked, sniffed, and listened for the current reason he had gray hairs in his beard. “Stiles, where’s Liam?”

Stiles sighed deeply as he began dishing out the ramen on to large bowls of noodles. “He’s downstairs in the one of the cells.” Ethan and Aiden snapped their heads up as Derek’s eyes flew open as Stiles continued. “His idea, not mine.”

Ethan and Aiden gave each other a look before Aiden bit his lip in concern. “Does Li-Li feel like he’s losing control of his wolf?”

Derek fervently wanted to know as well as Stiles finished pouring the broth into the last bowl and grabbing one in each hand as he gestured the remaining three. “Dinner for you guys, I’m eating with Liam.”

“We’ll all eat downstairs,” Derek said decisively with Ethan and Aiden nodding along fervently.

Stiles contemplated a moment before he nodded as well.  “Don’t drop your dinners. I’m not cleaning it up after the day I’ve had.”

The foursome began walking downstairs into the basement as Derek asked, “What happened today, exactly?”

“Well, Liam and I started our morning run-”

“-like always-“ Aiden interjected.

“-yup- and Theo joined us on the run-”

“-like always-” Ethan interjected.

“-not always but often enough- and I told him about how the jeep is making a new rattling sound and I don’t know what it is-”

“-like always-” Ethan and Aiden interjected together.

“-hey, not true, but Theo told us to drop the car off at the garage. He loaned us his truck for the time being since he wasn’t sure how long it would take and he knew you guys would be home. I’ve spent most of the day trying to rein in Liam.”

Derek paused a moment at the bottom of the stairs as he felt something stir with his wolf; a prickly sensation that had the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Ethan and Aiden likewise began to sense something as well, an agitation that slightly unsettled their wolves. Beyond the door, they could hear Liam’s normal music blaring and physical exertions of some kind. It wasn’t until Stiles opened the door and Liam’s scent flooded the stairwell that Derek and the twins could smell the sweat and musk of a physically demanding work out. Following Stiles, Aiden led his papa and brother into the bare basement and could see his little brother inside one of the rowan enforced, steel cages. Liam hung from the top of the cage as sweat dripped from his glistening body while he did repeated curl ups. The entire cement bottom of Liam’s cage was tinged brown from sweat contrasting to the gray floor.

As soon as Derek stepped around Ethan and Aiden to get a better view of his youngest pup several things happened at once. Liam froze mid-movement, his eyes locked on Derek for a moment before the flashed crimson. Derek choked on his tongue and felt his eyes flash crimson in return as his fingers went numb and his ramen crashed to the cement floor. Falling and twisting like a cat, Liam landed on all fours, roared and charged at Derek in challenge only to crash against the invisible barrier from the magical wood. A sense of indignation rose up in Derek as he felt himself roar back in return as he also charged at the cage, a primal need to subdue the younger, challenging Alpha. Only a sliver of space separated the claws of Derek and Liam from reaching each other while they snarled at each other instinctively. Ethan and Aiden went slightly numb as well. Stiles sighed, putting his and Liam’s dinner on a nearby table before walking over and slapping Derek across the back of the head. Said slap seemed to snap both Derek and Liam out of it and they both sheepishly looked to Stiles. The slender Alpha pointed to the closet as he eyed his wolfy husband. “Get the mop.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, work has been nuts lately and I’m doing more photoshoots so my time is limited. 
> 
> Posting this from my phone for now and will properly edit html later so it has my classic polish translation.

The wolf’s eyes were focused as it snarled, it’s claws clacking menacingly as it prowled around the tall woman. Her long hair was pulled into a tight bun at the bottom of her head as she panted lightly holding the longsword at the ready. She could feel a dribble of blood trickle down her cheek as she watched the wolf drool.

She’d hunted the wolf for the last week through Yellowstone State Park and had finally caught up with the monster last night. Pursuing the filthy mongrel had been a thrill as always until she had come to realize it had led her to a ravine with sheer cliffs and no cover. With its superior speed, it had cornered her into the ravine with no escape. The large crossbow would be more hindrance than help at this point with the time it would take to reload (which is why some Hunters still preferred the bow). 

The wolf had tried to charge at her but as it came in to bite her face off, she slammed her armored forearm across its jaw as she sidestepped the charge, disorientating and surprising the wolf. Most people would have tried to backstep out of range of its fangs and claws, not step into it. A searing pain startled the wolf as she stabbed the wolf in the side with her longsword. On reflex, the wolf snapped a claw blindly and sliced at her face catching her just under her eye as she yanked her sword out.

Now, the two eyed their prey warily. The wolf now realizing this prey wasn’t as simple as it expected, she cautious of how fast it was. A maniacally smile lit her face as she rushed the wolf, catching it by surprise as she bore down her sword with a double overhand slash to its head. The wolf yelped as it narrowly baked away in time the longsword to barely miss its nose.

Using her moment, she buried her sword into the ground and used it as a fulcrum to spin her heel at the wolf. The large boot heel cracked the wolf across it’s muzzle that sent it sprawling. The wolf was barely on its toes before it yelled as she charge once more and drove the sword into the wolf’s rib cage, a hard squint and smirk on her face. 

The wolf stilled as its eyes dimmed as she yanked the sword out and whipped it to the side, splattering the excess blood onto the ground. She grabbed her walkie from her belt as she yanked the hair tie loose and let her blonde hair fall. “Got it. Bring in the truck to my location and we can dispose of it.”

“Good job, Kate.”

\-----------

The Preserve still held a lot of life despite it being a barren winter. Derek listened keenly to the world around him as the critters that didn’t hibernate scrimped and scavenged for what food they could. Of course the serene moment shattered when a roar to his left drew his attention. 

Derek turned to find Stiles pointing his sword at their youngest as he struggled against his arboreal restraints coming from the ground. “Pillars, Liam,” Stiles ordered. “Remember what I taught you as pup.”

Liam roared again still attempting to fight his way at Derek but also occasionally sputtering, “F-f-force, know-kno-knowled-g-g-ge, d-d-drrRAWR!”

The muscles in Liam’s arm strained mightily for a moment, primal power rising in him as the Alpha surged within freeing his arm. With quick claw swipes all around his other limbs, the young Alpha was free and charged at older Alpha. The instinct to challenge was overwhelming despite Liam knowing he was charging his papa, his wolf was overpowering his control. He soared for a moment, claws outstretched, his fanged maw gaping as Derek flashed his crimson eyes before he felt an impact from below knocking the wind out of him followed by a strike from above that suddenly drove him into the ground. His momentum carried him a foot, face grinding into the dirt and debris.

“Wycofać się.” 

Liam raised his head minutely, his eyes flashing crimson but he felt a blow to the back of his head, dazing him.  Derek sucked in a deep breath before emptying his lungs through his nose as he watched another failed attempt for Liam to control his now stronger wolf within. Since Liam mysteriously became an Alpha, he couldn’t be around Derek without trying to fight his papa for dominance, a fight which everyone wanted to avoid. Derek glanced at his mate as Stiles used his magic to bind him to the ground with thick roots wrapped around his torso and limbs. “I hate to say it but we may have to send him away like Brett and I had to do.” 

Stiles snarled lightly, “I am not sending my pup away.” 

Feeling weary to his soul, Derek sighed with the world on his shoulders. “Then you’re going to have to let him fight me for dominance of the pack, Stiles. Trust me, as a new Alpha and especially for someone like Liam that never trained to be an Alpha or was in line to be one, it’ll be necessary.  I had to leave my mother's pack when I became an Alpha because my wolf was demanding me to fight all the time."

Stiles snapped, "Brett didn't have to do this! He chose to leave."

Derek gave his mate a flat stare. "Brett was a first born and only child to his parents. He was always going to be the next Alpha and was prepared as such while Liam, our youngest wolf, never prepared for the role of being an Alpha. I would also like to point out that Brett killed his mother, not just mysteriously inherit the power."

"Oh, right," Stiles murmured sheepishly. Derek stepped up and embraced Stiles, feeling the tense back muscles relax under his palms as Stiles buried his face into Derek's shoulder. Having been around Stiles so long, Stiles instinctly rubbed his face into his mate's shoulder, scent marking him. The Alpha wolf crooned as he scented the worry coming from his mate. "I'm scared Derek. I don't want to lose Liam."

This got a got a growl Derek as he hugged Stiles tighter. "I'll take care of Liam, I promise Stiles."

The Preserve was sanctimoniously quiet as the Alpha pair drew strength from one another. One feeling the very foundation of his world crumbling to sand and slipping through his fingers as the other held the other in a futile attempt to some how keep the pieces of their family together. Nary a breeze dared to interrupt, but an uncomfortable teenager did. "So, when you guys are done hugging it out, I'd really like to get up and pee."

Both Liam's parents deflated in exasperation as they turned to see their youngest eyeing them from the ground. Derek stated flatly, "You have the emotional sensitivity of a brick to the head."

"I blame Scott," Stiles sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **“Wycofać się.”** = _Stand Down_
> 
> *whistles innocently*


End file.
